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Zurich Cantonal Council approves 12 million for second cycle funding program
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The new bicycle support program aims to eliminate weaknesses in the network plan and improve communication and knowledge transfer. However, new cycle paths are not being built.
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The government is expected to deliver an interim report on loan usage after five years. If this is less than 40 percent used, the money should also be used to support bicycle projects by third parties. (Symbol image)
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The Zurich Cantonal Council continues to pour millions into bicycle funding: on Monday it approved the second bicycle funding program worth CHF 12 million. This money should last ten years. However, it does not build new cycle paths.
The money is mainly intended for the elimination of weak points in the Velonetzpan, for knowledge transfer and communication. An originally temporary position in the Velo coordination office is to be continued.
Parliament approved the CHF 12 million for the next ten years with 119 votes. The quorum for the spending brake of 91 votes was thus achieved. The SVP was against the bill. Nobody knows exactly what will be done with the money. “The coal just has to go out,” said Ulrich Pfister.
First funding program: The money stayed
The SVP was against the bill. Nobody knows exactly what will be done with the money. “The coal just has to go out,” said Ulrich Pfister. “Velo above everything.” In fact, the first funding program, which was decided in 2010, did not turn out to be a great success.
Most of the 20 million francs remained where it was. Only a quarter of the credit was used up because the canton did not implement various measures as announced, much to the annoyance of the left-green council, which called this a refusal to work.
“I’m not happy that the credit was not exhausted,” admitted the economics director Carmen Walker Späh (FDP), who is responsible for the promotion of bicycles. An example of a project that was not implemented was the bicycle parking spaces in the Kaspar-Escher-Haus, i.e. at the cantonal administration. These bike stands would have become too expensive because of the installation of showers that would have been necessary.
1200 weak points in the bicycle network plan
“But I am optimistic that we will use the new loan,” continues Walker Späh. The focus would be on the 1200 weaknesses that need to be eliminated in the bike network plan.
So that the money doesn’t get stuck again, the government has to submit an interim report after five years. If the loan is then used to less than 40 percent, the money should also be used to support bicycle projects by third parties.
Investments in new cycle paths are not part of this funding program because they are financed from the road fund. The government council plans to spend 20 million francs every year on new infrastructure over the next ten years. This money is then approved by the cantonal council when it comes to budget advice. (sda)
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